Tova Borgnine was the founder of Beauty by Tova cosmetics and the widow of actor Ernest Borgnine (1917–2012).
- Died: February 26, 2022 (Who else died on February 26?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 80.
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Life and career
Born Tove Træsnæs in Oslo, Norway, Borgnine came to the U.S. as a child and initially planned to be an actress. But she changed paths and launched a cosmetics company in the mid-1960s. Then called Tova9, it was later renamed Beauty by Tova, focusing on skincare products and fragrances. Borgnine launched the fragrance Tova Signature in 1983 and began selling it on QVC in the hope shopping channel’s early days, in 1990. Tova Signature became QVC’s top-selling perfume and Beauty by Tova its most successful fragrance vendor. Later, Borgnine sold the brand to QVC, and she was honored with the Fragrance Foundation’s Retailer of the Year award in 2009 for her work as a pioneer of direct marketing for perfume.
Borgnine married actor Ernest Borgnine in 1973; it was her second marriage and his fifth. The couple remained married until his death in 2012. She published the 1997 book “Being Married Happily Forever.”
Borgnine on her interest in cosmetics
“I was more focused on becoming a world-class actress, but part of the coursework at the Actors Studio in New York was learning how to apply your characters through makeup, and I became more fascinated with how to create these different visuals. I was also very fortunate to study with some of the master makeup artists that have gone on to win Academy Awards.” —from a 2010 interview for Leaders
Tributes to Tova Borgnine
Full obituary: The U.S. Sun
